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Yes, you read that right. I've studied the history of Fort Amanda for more than 40 years and it wasn't until a few years ago, as I was strolling back to the monument, it suddently dawned on me, "Where were the fort's toilets?" After all, soldiers didn't just leave their 'deposits" in them, sometimes they dropped and even threw things into them and those things could give us a little better understanding of what life was like in the fort 212 years agio.
There Were Rules
First of all, you couldn't just wander into a nearby woods and leave your "deposit," there were rules for where, when and even how you could do that.
"Sinks."
During the period, field toilets were called "sinks." Placement of sinks was a very serious matter for obvious reasons, including health issues. Other concers were, odors, not polluting food or water supplies and avoiding the occasional misfortune of stepping into one while foraging in the woods.
The When
Yes, there were even regulations on where and when you could use the sinks outside the forts walls. Fort Meigs (Perrysburg, Oh) was a very large fort and under attack at times by the British and the Indians so it was very dangerous for soldiers to venture outside the fort walls to use a sink. To compensate for that, a general order was issued at Fort Meigs in 1813 that shows there were sinks built both outside the fort walls. That same order warned that violating that order could result in a very unpleasant consequences. It read in part:
“Sinks must be made (outside) the pickets
to be used in the day and others within to be used at night and for the sick
always. The filth about the camp must be immediately cleaned up. Each Corps
must attend to that part which it occupies and such others as may be assigned
to it by the principle Quartermaster. Any Person after 3 o’clock this evening
who shall be found easing himself in any other way than in a sink either in or
outside of the pickets shall be made to do the duty of a camp color man and
employed in removing the filth for one week.”
A sergeant in 1812 may have said it this way:
"OK, listen up. If you need to relieve yourself during the day, use the sinks outside the walls. If you need to do it at night or if you're sick use the bucket in your cabin. You're responsible for cleaning up your own mess. If you're caught relieving yourself anywhere but in a sink after 3 in the afternoon either inside or outside the walls, you'll be assigned to collecting and emptying chamber pots and sink buckets for a week.
What did field "Sinks" look like?
A 19th Century Military Field Throne
Sinks themselves were basically nothing more than six foot long
trench, three feet wide and 4 or 5 feet deep, however, there were options The
more elaborate sinks had upright poles lashed together in the shape of an “X”
placed at each end of the trench with
another pole lashed to them that spanned its length forming a seat.
After each use,
the men were expected to cover their “deposits” with a layer of dirt.
The Downside of a Having a Private Toilet
When the War of 1812 broke out, General James Winchester was given command of the Army of the Northwest. After some political maneuvers, the command was eventually given over to Gen. William Henry Harrison. The Kentucky troops loved Harrison but no so much for Winchester. A soldier named William Northcut of the Kentucky Bourbon Blues Light Dragoons recalled the following incident involving Winchester's trip to the sink.
“….all despised him (Winchester), and were continually playing some of their tricks off on him. At one encampment they killed a porcupine and skinned it and stretched the skin over a pole that he used for a particular purpose in the night, and he went and sat down on it, and it like to have ruined him. At another encampment they sawed his pole that he had for the same purpose nearly in two, so that when he went to use it in the night, it broke in two and let his Generalship, uniform and all fall backwards in no very decent place, for I seen his Regimentals hanging high upon a pole the next day taking the fresh air.”
At another encampment they sawed his pole that he had for the same purpose nearly in two, so that when he went to use it in the night, it broke in two and let his Generalship, uniform and all fall backwards in no very decent place, for I seen his Regimentals hanging high upon a pole the next day taking the fresh air.
So Where Were the Sinks Located at Fort Amanda
At Fort Meigs the rule of thumb was that sinks were to be located at least 100 yards away from the main encampment. The following process of elimination may help pinpoint the general area of sinks.
Area A: A sink on the edge of the ravine northwest of the fort would not have been practical because of the sloped sides and dangers of falling into the ditch.
Area B: The area would have been a high traffic
area. There were sheds built outside the
fort walls for storage, etc. Several
artifacts have been found in the area that suggesting that there may have been
workshops, a blacksmith shop and other storage buildings. The road leading up from St. Marys would have
been through the Area B.
Area C: There were animal pens and slaughtering near
Area C and the ramp leading down to the boat loading area ran adjacent to this
area so there would have been little room for many sinks in that area, plus its a steep slope down to the river.
Area D: This area seems the most logical place for sinks or groups of sinks. It's away from high traffic areas as well as being both geographically and expediency-friendly. With winds generally out of the northwest, the location would have been air-quality-friendly, if you get my drift (no pun intended).
While this blog was meant to educate and perhaps add a little humor. some enjoyed practical jokes at times.